Computer Scare

Good morning!!! How are ya'll today???? What did you do this weekend?

My parents got in safely yesterday and we spent most of the afternoon just hanging out. However, late Saturday night I had a little bit of a computer scare. I was online, facebook I think, and all of a sudden my internet closed, the screen went black and a BUNCH of error messages popped up saying things like my C drive had crashed, my RAM wasn't functioning properly, etc. Then, a couple of minutes later this popped up:

I don't know if you can tell, put in the top left corner, beside where it says "system check", there is a windows symbol. Well, when it showed  up, I lost access to everything on the computer: files, programs, even the start menu went empty. So I thought initially that something with my computer really had gone wrong, and because the System Check window looked like a windows program, I clicked on fix errors. Well, I was immediately taken to a page where I was asked to pay upwards of 80 dollars just to fix my computer. After that, I began to get a little suspicious. So, I shut the laptop off for the night, and the next morning, turned it on to find the same system check window opened. I then got on the other computer and found out that the whole thing is a virus that manages to block all your computer's files, making it look like you have lost everything on it and really do have a problem. It even blocks you actual antivirus program, so your computer doesn't even register that you have a problem. With the version that hit my computer, you can't even get online because your internet browser is hidden as well. My sister and I managed to connect my computer and the other one via remote access and she sent me a freeware called TrojanKiller that restores hidden files. After that, I just rebooted the laptop and everything was back to normal. It was really scary though and for a while I truly thought that I had lost everything on my laptop. Here's some more info about this virus, because it seems that more and more people are being affected by it:

System Check can really screw up the computer system it gets into. It’s because the program is one of those fake optimization tools whose aim is to trick the user rather than provide some real help. It can infiltrate your PC in a number of ways all of which are backdoor, which means you don’t have many chances to actually notice and prevent this even. As soon as System Check is on board, it executes the programmed sequence of actions, adding new files and changing your registry by creating new entries in there as well. This done, it will get launched each time Windows loads up because one of those new registry values keeps telling your machine to run the malware’s random executable during startup. When running, System Check will kind of scan your computer for errors and, not surprisingly at all, will find lots of those. It triggers bogus alerts like “Failed to save all the components for the file \System32\00004823″, “A potential disk failure may cause loss of files, applications and documents stored on the hard disk”, “Hard drive clusters are partly damaged” etc. These notifications are all part of the general campaign targeting the formation of a wrong impression on the user’s end. In the end of the day, this program always offers you some assistance by stating that it can fix all of those critical errors if you buy its full version. Now, do not even purchase this scam application. The only thing it can ‘repair’ is the bunch of imaginary issues it had made up in the first place. So be wise and get rid of this badware. (source)

 I realize that I'm sort of going on about this, but it is really sad to me how people actually spend a lot of time working on stuff like this just to trick others into paying them significant amounts of money.....and that they're so good at what they do that they can even fool a real antivirus program.

Anyway, if you stuck with me through all of that, you deserve a recipe! :D What I've got for ya today is some chocolate popcorn:
Chocolate Popcorn

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup popcorn kernels, unpopped
• 1/4 cup plus 2 T sugar
• 2 tablespoons corn syrup
• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees F and grease a cookie sheet.
2. Pop the popcorn and set aside.
3. In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar, corn syrup, cocoa and butter. Cook over medium-high until it comes to a boil. Continue boiling for about 2 minutes. Remove from heat. and stir in vanilla. Pour chocolate over the popcorn, stirring to coat all of it. Spread popcorn in an even layer on baking sheet.
4. Bake for 30 minutes, stirring the popcorn every 10 minutes to prevent sticking and to make sure that all of the popcorn is coated. 
5. Remove from oven, let cool. Break up any large clumps and store in an airtight container. 

Everyone really loves this popcorn! Easy and tasty!!!

Do you like sweet popcorn like caramel corn, or do you prefer salty versions??

That's about it for today...see ya'll later!!!!

It's 2012!

Good morning, everyone!! Who else thinks that 2011 flew by? We didn't do too much this weekend....mostly just hung out! Last night we had black eyed peas, baked potatoes, baked italian chicken (recipe to come soon!), rice, copycat olive garden breadsticks (so, so good....if anyone wants to see this recipe as well, let me know!) and corn for dinner with a big glass of sweet tea!!! Yum! :D Not extremely traditional, except for the black eyed peas, but delicious nonetheless! What did ya'll have for New Year's dinner? 


Well, I did promise a chocolate recipe on my last post, so here it is! I had this for my birthday last Wednesday! Basically its like a combination of a mousse with a cake. Tastes like the mousse, but bakes like a cake! :D Also, anything that has both melted chocolate and cocoa powder in it is bound to be awesome!

Chocolate Decadence (original recipe found here)

(not my picture)

Ingredients:

• 7 oz chocolate, finely chopped (we used a dark chocolate, but I think any kind would work, depending on how rich you want the cake to be) 
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder
• 2 T flour
• 2/3 plus 1/4 cup sugar, divided 
• Dash of salt
• 1 cup milk (we used whole, and it worked just fine)
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3 egg whites
• 1/8 tsp cream of tartar

Directions:

1. Place chocolate and cocoa powder in a large bowl.
2. Combine flour, 2/3 cup sugar and salt in a small heavy saucepan. Whisk in just enough of the milk to form a smooth paste. Mix in the remaining milk. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon to prevent burning (especially around the sides and bottom edges of the pot), until the mixture begins to bubble. Boil gently, stirring constantly, for 2 to 2 1/2 minutes (the mixture will get very thick and then you may notice that it thins ever so slightly as the starch cooks). Scrape the hot mixture immediately over the chocolate and cocoa. Stir until the chocolate is completely melted and smooth. The batter will be very thick. Stir in egg yolks and vanilla.
3. Beat egg whites and cream of tartar in a mixing bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until soft peaks form. Gradually sprinkle in the remaining 1/4 cup sugar, beating on high speed until the egg whites are stiff but not dry.
4. Gently fold about one-fourth of the egg whites into the chocolate batter to lighten it. Gently fold in the remaining egg whites until no white streaks remain. Scrape the batter into the cake pan, smoothing the top.
5. Set the cake pan in a larger baking pan and place on the oven rack. Pour enough boiling water into the baking pan to come a third to halfway up the side of the cake pan. Bake at 350 until the surface of the cake is slightly crusted and springs back when gently pressed, 20 to 25 minutes. (The cake will still be quite gooey inside.)
6. Once the cake is done baking, let it cool completely before serving. Mine was still a little gooey after 2 hours, but tasted delicious. The cake is even better after being refrigerated overnight. 

This is definitely my new favorite birthday treat!!! :D Have any of ya'll tried a cake like this before?

Well, my big project for the week is re-organizing my room. Fun stuff, right? I've been spending most of the weekend some time on Pinterest looking for some fun room decor ideas. There is a lot to work with on that site.....I love it!!!! I think I'm going to try to make this  because it is just so cute!!!! First though, I really need to find a way to get my fat cat out of my closet! It's really hard to organize in there when he just jumps right in when I'm done.....and gets black and white cat fur all over everything. Downside of having a black and white cat: None of your clothes are safe from fur! Anyway, that's the big thing for the week......it'll definitely be nice to have a project to work on! What are ya'll's holiday projects? Another thing I want to do? Flip-flop redesigning! 

Well, that's about it for today.....see ya'll later!!!

Stuff Happens

Hey! First of all, thanks so much for your kind words about dealing with negative comments on my last post!  Sorry its been so long since then......things have been a little crazy. This past weekend was really fun....we mostly just hung out here at home, which I think we all needed. My dad hadn't had a "day off" since his birthday a couple of weeks ago. I know I'm a little late, but what did you do this past weekend? 


This week should be my last of school, if I manage to get all of my tests done....I've ended up taking a little bit of time off so far this week because things came up that I didn't want to miss out on because of school. It will all get done fairly soon, though.

Yesterday, I attempted to make chocolate crinkle cookies to be a part of my Christmas cookie present. Look how cute they are when they turn out:

What I didn't realize was that the dough has to be chilled and stay chilled. It is the middle of summer here, and we're 8 degrees south of the equator. As soon as that dough came out of the freezer, it started to melt.I put them in the oven anyway, and ended up with delicious, chocolate-y, ugly puddles of goo. Appetizing, no? So, guess what I'm not making this Christmas season.  Oh well, I have something to look forward to when rainy season starts in June. :P 

I just got back from an awesome spin class! I haven't been in a few weeks, and it is amazing how much the class kicked my butt after taking some time off! Speaking of workouts, I have yet another circuit to share!!!

Instead of my usual cardio/strength/cardio/strength/cardio set up, I decided to do two longer cardio portions and cut out the third. It's pretty awesome how just tacking on an extra five minutes to the first two cardio sections made the workout seem more intense! Here ya go:

Cardio 1= HIIT sprints:

Run as fast as possible for 1 minute.

Recover for 1 minute. 

Repeat 10 times.

Weights 1= Arms:

Bicep Curls (15)

Bent over fly (12)

Tricep Kickbacks (15 each side)

Shoulder Press with Twist (12) 

Tricep Pullbacks(12)

Scaption and Shrug (12)

Repeat 2X

Cardio 2= Hills

Minute        Incline        

0-3                1         Walk at a comfortable pace

3-5                1         Jog-not as fast as you can go, RPE of 5 or 6

5-9                1         Tabata Intervals (10 seconds recover, 20 seconds all out sprint)

9-11              3         Jog

11-12            5         Jog, slowing down as needed

12-13            7         Slow jog

13-14            9         Walk

14-15           11        Walk

15-16            1          Walk to recover

16-20            1          Tabata

Weights 2=Legs:

Plie Squat w/ upwards row (15)

Curtsy Lunge w/ lift (15 each leg)

Weighted Squat (15)

Jump Lunges (15 each side)

Calf Raises (25)

Double Crunch (12)

Repeat 2X

There you have it, a full body workout that takes anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour to complete. I was definitely feelin' it after this one, and really enjoyed including hills in my cardio, because I tend to avoid hill running. Having a shorter time limit helps me "push through" workouts that I normally would not do.

Well, it is time for me to get back to studying...finals here I come!
What are you up to this week? 

Tempo Runs Kick My Butt

Heey!! Happy Wednesday!!! What all have you guys been up to this week???

I've been pretty much just getting back into the school routine...so far I'm enjoying my classes, which is a good sign!!! Although, seeing my cat sleep on the couch all afternoon sort of makes me wish that I could do the same thing. :P

Aaand why are you disturbing me?

So anyway, Friday I did my very first tempo run, which was a heck of a lot tougher than I anticipated it being! I figured that well, since I wasn't going to run at my fastest speed, but instead at a moderate one, I would be ok. Let me just say that by the end of it I was one heck of a sweaty beast! haha I enjoyed it, but my favorite runs are probably the speed runs, which is weird, but I like running fast. :P Which type of training run do you prefer: hill, tempo, speedwork or a long run? 


So last night, I had a little bit of a baking disaster. For dinner, I wanted to make some of my favorite quick rolls to serve as a side. However, I forgot to add baking powder to the mixture because the original recipe calls for self-rising flour, so baking powder isn't on the ingredient list. We don't usually buy self-rising flour here, so you have to add some salt and baking powder to it whenever a recipe calls for self-rising. Anyway, after about 20 minutes, the rolls still looked sort of small and undercooked, so I took out the recipe and reread it. That's when I realized what I had done! I guess that we weren't supposed to have rolls last night....hahaha Do you have any funny kitchen disaster stories? 

Well, I had better get to studying....have to get some stuff done before spin!!

First Day of School!

Edit: Everyone, check out the awesome giveaway that Chocolate-Covered Katie is having!! http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2011/08/10/the-best-giveaway-ever/


Heey!!! I hope you all have been having a wonderful week so far!!! Thanks for the positive comments on my last post....I'll try to have a vlog up sometime soon!


Soo today is the first day of my junior year of high school!!!!! I really can't believe how fast these holidays flew by!!!!! Something about being gone for two weeks just makes it seem like it wasn't that long ago that I was finishing up with my final exams and everything! Now, I'm back to the beginning of a new school year!!! Wow! Do you ever feel like holidays fly by faster than the school/work year?? I definitely do!!!

Well, this little guy apparently thinks that life is just one big vacation:

 

Soooo tired!

I have said it once, and I will say it again: What a life! :D And yes, he is on my bed, sleeping on top off my dress! Oh well......it just means that I don't have to organize my room yet...wouldn't want to disturb the cat! haha

Oh! I almost forgot...my gym is releasing a new RPM track today! I'm going and I'm really excited!!!! :D Here's a funny gym story for ya'll. Yesterday, I decided that I wanted to try out a new class, and I saw that they had a dance class in the afternoons. Since the only other dance class is too early in the morning for me, I decided to give this one a go. What I didn't realize was that the afternoon class was set up for people who already knew the routines and just wanted to practice. I have never in my life felt as lost as when the instructor suddenly started the music and everyone was dancing! I must have had the most dazed look on my face! Needless to say, I lasted about 5 minutes.....think I'll be sticking to RPM from now on. hahaha
Did you ever start to take a class without realizing something about it?

Well, that's about all I've got for now....see ya'll later! 

Packing Frenzy

First of all, thanks for all of ya'lls college advice!!!! It was really awesome! =D

Here's a story for ya: Well, my real social security number card is in Brazil. So we had a notorized copy of it that I took with me yesterday so I could prove my identity before I took the driver's test. Guess what? The copy is only valid for 30 days and we got mine in October. Like my SSN was going to change in 30 days. So, we got another copy, and I will take that test today!!!!

Its been a madhouse around here, what with us trying to stuff all of our crap that we're taking back for ourselves and for the ministry into suitcases. We each have two check-ons: one for personal stuff and one for ministry stuff. Here's what my personal suitcase currently looks like:



 Do you think this will ever be closed? I suuuure hope so! =P

Today I'm trying out a new workout, that I'll do in conjunction with my usual 10 minute jump rope workout, so here's the link:

20 minute sweat workout:

http://www.exercisetv.tv/workout-videos/body-sculpting/20-minute-sweat-workout-5065

Because nothing helps packing-related stress better than sweating. Followed with some nice yoga, maybe. I've only recently begun doing a little bit of yoga, so I don't really know a lot about it yet.

I have a question for all you runners out there:

What are foods that are important for runners to eat to avoid feeling run down? Is there anything or any food group in particular that you should eat before or after running? I know everyone is different, but I want to know what works for you. =D

Well, I guess I'd better be heading out to cram for that driver's permit test....hope I actually get to take it today! =D

Happy Thursday!

Happy Christmas Eve!

Well, all of my family's plans for yesterday basically went out the window. My aunt is feeling really sick, so we didn't go to my dad's side's house for taco night. But, we did pick up my beeeeest friend and had an awesome afternoon and went to her house for our Christmas celebration there. And we had mexican, which I sort of think is funny.

So yesterday my friend asked me what I wanted for my birthday, and I jokingly said "world peace". So then we went window shopping and tried on sone stuff, and later we went to Gracie Bleu's frozen yogurt. It was our first time there, but it was like a self serve froyo place, and the guy working there gave us a TON of those little ketchup containers so that we could taste all the different flavors. Their setup was pretty cool, with about 4 stations with 2 separate flavors and 1 mixture of the two each. For example, there was a strawberry froyo and a birthday cake flavor, and the mixture was strawberry shortcake. Then there were tons of toppings and stuff to choose from. While we were sitting, my friend handed me a box with a bracelet inside. She then said that when we went into one of the stores that we visited, there were "world peace bracelets" at the front door for sale. So guess what I am now wearing? I got world peace for my birthday! =D

World peace! =D

So today, we're hanging out for most of the day and tonight we have church, which will be nice!!!!!

So, recently I've been thinking about going vegetarian. However, my family is pretty much worried that I won't get enough key nutrients. Because of this, I've decided to pick one day a week to be a vegetarian to sort of show everyone that I would be able to eat a balanced diet. I'm thinking that the day might be today, but I still have to actually talk with my parents. And once or twice a week vegetarianism might be all I can do for now, I want to see how it works out for me personally, though.

Well, what are your Christmas/Christmas eve plans?

Happy Christmas Eve!!!!

I Got Tricked.

Guess what? I've got two more tests, which I found out I was going to take yesterday. Not talking about it any more. =D

So, anyway, I'm still having a pretty great time just vegging around but I can already tell its gonna get old. fast. I need stuff to do!!!!!! =D Hence the baking extravaganza that will begin as soon as my tests are taken and I have the necessary ingredients. Because baking for other people is therapy for me. I also like to cook meals, which I might do tonight!!!! Yipee! Another boredom-buster is reading all of you're awesome blogs! =D

Well, I ended up working out to two of my already posted videos: the tried and true 10-minute jump rope video, and the Exercise tv Total Body Bootcamp. It was a pretty dang awesome workout, if you ask me...especially for a 30 minute one!

Oh good news! I'm halfway to my weight goal! Yipeee!!!! 10 pounds down, 10 to go! Then I'll be at 115, which is a great weight for my height....especially since I'm 5'3 and have a smallish build anyway. Oh, and my sister, who is three years younger than I am is almost as tall as me. People think that we're either twins or that she's older. Being short stinks, if you ask me. At least I'll never have to worry about being taller in heels than my date. =P

Random...sorry.

So, I'm sorry that I'm putting ya'll through all of my random nothingness...this is what really goes on inside my mind. I swear, I'll be listening to a conversation, and someone will say something that will make me think about something else that's completely random, and I'm not even able to contribute to the conversation because my mind is ping-ponging back and forth between different topics.

So basically, I just type out all of the ping-ponging going on, and you poor people end up with a big, long post on nothing, really. =D

Well, guess I had better go study....

happy Wednesday!

Its Snowing!!!!

There's snow on the ground in West Virginia!!!! Brrrrr. I haven't seen snow in 7 years!!!!

We got here yesterday afternoon, and have had a wonderful time so far. Its so great to see my family and spend some quality time with them.

As for yesterday's post, it was hard to write originally, but after I had finished, I felt so much better. Even now, I still avoid talking about it, even with my family. My family and friends have been so amazing. I thank God for them every day.

Anyway, we've been super busy, which is why I haven't posted earlier. We left our house on Thursday, and got into our hotel, which was the halfway point of our trip, just as it started to snow. We were worried that we wouldn't be able to leave the next morning, but it was all fine. We even got in earlier than expected!!!! Last night, we had this wonderful soup made with leftover turkey, rice, and fresh veggies!!!! It was an amazing and creative way to use up those Thanksgiving leftovers. We then spent time just chatting and visiting about what all has been going on. It was so much fun!!!!

We then got up this morning, and went out to set up some Christmas trees. When do you set up your Christmas trees? Right after Thanksgiving or right before Christmas?

We just got back from some of my other cousins' house, where we had sandwiches for lunch. We watched home videos, and some of us played a game called Don't break the chain. It was pretty funny!!!!! Now, there's an Arkansas game going on and some of the guys are watching that. We're all going to get together again tonight for fajitas!!!! Yummy!!!

That's really all that's going on right now...

I hope you all are nice and warm!!!!!

My Journey to Healthfulness

Hey everyone! Today's post is a little more serious than usual.

I've mentioned my eating disorder a couple of times, but never really talked about it.  I'm still fighting it right now, and there are definitely times when I just sit down and cry over anything. I'm a perfectionist by nature, and I also have always had a low self esteem. I originally wanted to lose like 10 lbs when I started exercising and changed my diet. But, losing weight was something that I felt I had control over, and something that I felt that I could do. Whenever I was having a bad day, I would think to myself: "I may not be able to control whatever is making me upset, but I can control what I eat." It got to the point where I was eating around 800 calories a day, but was in denial about the whole thing. I looked gaunt, and weighed about 96 lbs. I had no energy to be a good daughter, sister, or friend. I know that by myself, I wouldn't have made the decision to fight my disordered eating. It was God, working through my family and friends, especially my mother, who showed me that what I was doing was wrong. As of right now, I cannot say that I am completely healed. I am definitely better, but I still have a  long way to go. This holiday season, I want to give thanks for  the family and friends who have always been there for me.

Here's an awesome video of one of my favorite bands:



Well, sorry for the super serious post, but this is something that I felt I should talk about.

Have a wonderful day!!!!